ABSTRACT
About 1950 the coronary heart disease pandemic in the United States was more severe in states that had certain characteristics. The 48 states of the United States are well suited to an analysis of factors associated with the pandemic in a very large geographic area in 1950 and 1960. The states varied in their coronary heart disease mortality rates and differed geographically, socially, culturally, and economically. States with higher mortality rates excluding arteriosclerotic heart disease may be more susceptible to new diseases such as pandemic coronary heart disease. In 1950 the seven states with very high arteriosclerotic heart disease mortality rates for men and women were clustered in a small geographic region with every state adjoining one or more states on the list. In 1960, the states with very low arteriosclerotic heart disease mortality rates continued to be located over a broad geographic area.
